Firme

WILL IT BLEND:
Firme defies conventional classification, putting myriad styles into the aural blender. (Will it blend? Yes, yes it will). Part ska/reggae, part salsa-tinged jazz and all rock (don't bother doing the math), Firme takes the stage eight strong and delivers a severe East Side San Jo combo punch for the booty shakers on the dance floor, followed by an uppercut to party music purists. Firme produces a get-up-and-get-down sound that few bands can even dream of creating. The local rockers rip it up at the Blank for Cinco de Mayo weekend with Kill the Softface opening on Friday and the Good Hustle getting the nod on Saturday.

A BETTER EMO:
In a lot of ways, Seattle's Minus the Bear is a throwback to a kinder, gentler emo, before Victory Records got their hands on it and major labels sent it into the ProTools compression chamber. There's no residual nu-metal posturing here; instead, the band rose out of the ashes of hardcore touchstone Botch, but you won't find many traces of Botch's bludgeoning sound--instead Minus the Bear opt for a much lighter touch, churning out synth-laden bedroom anthems that are nearly too polite for their own good. They're touring behind the remix album, Interpretationes del Oso, which brings the electronic flourishes even further to the forefront, but Minus the Bear are basically a shockingly effective straight-up emo act, and deserve credit for breathing some life into a genre that's been coasting more than Law and Order in recent years. As an added bonus, song titles like "Just Kickin' It Like a Wild Donkey," "Booyah Achieved" and "Lemurs, Man, Lemurs" never fail to amuse. (Paul Davis)

Wed. May 2, 3:30pm
Tower Lawn: SJSU
San Jose State University
No Phone
Free

INQ

SJSU CELEBRATION:
What better way to take advantage of warm weather than with serious rocking on the SJSU Tower Lawn on a Wednesday afternoon? INQ brings their Bay Area rock to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of SJSU all afternoon for the whopping cost of FREE. The university is a staple of downtown and worthy of celebration by everyone, not just the students skipping class to see the show. INQ's dynamic alternative rock is sure to draw a crowd of dedicated fans, students, perhaps faculty of the university and anyone within hearing distance. Bring a blanket and a bottle--of sunscreen?--to celebrate SJSU's birthday with rock.

Travis

BEFORE COLDPLAY:
Even after more than 10 years, Travis still has what it takes to rock the world with their Scottish indie rock, and they proved it over the weekend playing Saturday at Coachella. Sometimes credited with starting the soft rock that influenced bands like Coldplay and Keane, Travis will release their newest album, The Boy with No Name, on May 7. The San Francisco show will be the band's last performance in the U.S. before they head back to Europe to continue touring. That means that Bay Area Travis fans will have to take advantage of the Fillmore show, and there's no telling what's in store for the final encore.

Mastodon and Against Me!

EPIC ROCK:
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Mastadon plays the kind of Southern hardcore rock that non-Southern bands try to emulate. The Warfield will receive quite a punch on Wednesday night, hosting Mastadon's progressive metal andthe punk rock and sometimes-acoustic folk by Against Me! Not that this show needs to be any sweeter, but the icing on the cake is having eclectic indie and punk rock from Cursive on the bill. Planes Mistaken for Stars opens the night with the first dose of hardcore rock. Four bands who rock hard? There's no excuse to miss it.

Wild 94.9 The Bomb

FALLOUT THUG:
Time to stock up on canned food and first-aid supplies, because Wild 94.9 is dropping the Bomb on San Jose. Wait, our intern has just informed me they mean "da" bomb, which is totally different. Still, Wild 94.9 claims to be delivering "all your favorite artists on one stage," which apparently means that in addition to Bone Thugs 'N Harmony, Ciara, Omarion, Bow Wow, T-Pain, Mims, Deepside, Lloyd and DJ Unk, the show will also feature Billie Holiday, the Velvet Underground, Miles Davis, Pavement, N.W.A. and about 500 others. Finally!

MxPx

GOD ROCK:
Sure, they're considered a "Christian Rock" band, but if there's one outfit that doesn't deserve to be cast into this grotesquely misunderstood genre of rock & roll, it's the boys from MxPx. Ambitious from the start, these guys started rocking before they were old enough to drive cars. Their second album, 1995's Teenage Politics, caught fire at high schools nationwide and propelled the band toward mainstream stardom. With plenty of attitude and youthful recklessness, MxPx soon rose to the forefront of the '90s punk revival. Like a good bottle of wine, the group only matured with age, and the highly anticipated release of their 10th studio album, Secret Weapon, proves that these guys are here to stay, regardless of their assigned genre.

HIS AIM IS TRUE:
A gifted songwriter with a deep-rooted legacy in the post-Beatles pop rock era, Costello's talent is compared with giants like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. His 1977 debut album, My Aim Is True, melded the newly emerging genres of punk and New Wave to create a wholly unique sound that would instantly render him legions of devoted fans. Three decades later, Costello continues to impress critics with an array of dazzling creativity in both music and lyrics. The 2001 release, The Very Best of Elvis Costello, was a huge commercial success, and the 2006 R&B-inspired album, The River in Reverse, displays the eclectic nature of Costello's approach to songwriting. Catch the rock & roll icon in the flesh tonight at the Warfield. (Garrett Wheeler)

Old 97's

FOLK SESSIONS:
The alternative country of the Old 97's has brought the group around the world and back to Dallas, Texas, many times since their inception almost 15 years ago. The band will be heading off to play the newest festival at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, The Stagecoach Music Festival, over the weekend, but before they head south, they are following the trend of Coachella bands and performing in San Francisco first.

PAC Presents: Collabo

MULTI CULTI:
Live painters, multi-media exhibits, bands and DJs come together for the Pacific Art Collective (PAC) presentation of Collabo at the Space Gallery in San Francisco. Rocking the gallery will be local bands Triplex and Benjamin Henderson,; DJ Skyy and Chlorophil will man the decks to create ambience for the painters. The flexible cover fee--pay what you can!--gets you live art from about 30 artists and live musical performances. This PAC event brings people together for a contemporary art movement that creates awareness of international artists, art districts, venues and organizations. Collabo is just one of the unique showcases PAC puts on to educate the community and help artists, but Friday's event is one-of-a-kind and the perfect way to start celebrating diversity on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Chuck Love @ The Velvet Shop

LOVE MACHINE:
The main floor of Taste will be taken over by Chuck Love and Uneaq for a live house set on Friday night, one of the few times--if not the only time--this happens in San Jose. M3 and MJ Gamez will also be on the turntables to raise the roof while visuals will be lighting up the night. In another room, DJ Solarz will spin soul and hip-hop just to mix things up. The infamous Taste drink special, Godzillas, will be slung all night at the bar for a decent price. The Velvet Shop features live house, soul, R&B, hip-hop and party music all night long.

Security

LOCAL METAL'S BACK, AGAIN:
One of the sickest metal outfits on the scene today and definitely in the Top 5 as far as local San Jo bands go, the ass-kicking rock lords of Security rip it up at Johnny V's tonight with their awesome brand of hard rock and metal noise. Security is back after a needed hiatus and has been finding their solid groove again at several shows around the Bay. This intense four-piece rocks the hell out of joints and blows crowds away with their full-bore sound. Sim Sala Bim and more open for a show that any hard-rock junkie has to see.

Angel @ Vivid

COVER GIRL:
Angel Clivillés, from the pop and freestyle group The Cover Girls, comes to Vivid to perform her club hits live. The pre-Cinco de Mayo celebration has $1 drinks until 10:30pm, so getting there early is highly advised. When Angel isn't performing, the DJs at Vivid will be keeping the party going with Top 40, house, hip-hop and reggaeton for a serious night of dancing. Vivid's prime location makes it the perfect place to party for Cinco de Mayo all weekend and Angel's live performance is sure to fill up the club. Get there early to avoid the crowds.

Late Night Special Tour

RED EYE:
Undeniably one of the most appropriate events San Jose has hosted in a while, the Late Night Special Concert is going to pack the San Jose State Events Center to the brim and then some. Pretty Ricky, one of the top groups in the country right now, will be performing hit singles along with Bobby Valentino, who has done work with Timbaland. Tyrese--now known as Black Tie--will also be onstage doing his thing. DJ Manikial will be on the turntables, getting the crowd in the mood when the performers aren't on. The Late Night Special Tour is going to be a blow out and could be the beginning to a crazy night out with plenty happening at the clubs on Friday. This is going to be the event everyone is talking about on Saturday so make sure not to miss it.

NVS, FTB & Down & Durdy

DURDY BIRDS:
It's become clear where all the free punk shows moved when San Jose venues started charging: Santa Clara's dive bars. C&J's Sports Bar takes on their dive bar duty of hosting local bands that still know how to rock out like real punks. NVS will give the crowd a taste of a little bit of everything from metal and pop to punk rock. The Down and Durdy threesome brings funky rock to the table, and F.T.B. (it stands for F*ck the Band) turns up the heat with even more funky rock and a taste of ska. It hasn't always been the case, but it seems that C&J's is the place to be lately for getting your face rocked off free of charge. Save that cover charge cash and bring it to C&J's for an extra drink and free music.

Glamorous @ Fahrenheit

GLAMOUR SHOTS:
It's that time of the month again--Fahrenheit gets glam with giveaways and DJs spinning amazing dance music. The Glamorous event will have DJ Fabian mixing things up with Top 40 and house, and Funky B gets things even hotter on the turntables throughout the night. This is the chance to avoid the crowds celebrating Cinco de Mayo early to attend an upscale party that still knows how to have a good time. Make sure to get glam for this event because "dress to impress" is the way to go at Fahrenheit. Forget about dancing in the streets, it's a way better idea to be dancing in Fahrenheit on Friday night.

Velvet Revolver

REHAB ROCK OUT:
In case you've been living under a rock for the last few years (or under a drug- and alcohol-induced haze), Velvet Revolver is the product of disbanded rock legends Guns N' Roses and '90s alt-rock combo Stone Temple Pilots. After losing their appetite for the self-destructive Axl Rose, the remaining members went their separate ways for the better part of a decade. Then, a G&R reunion in 2001 sparked rumors of a new album and a possible reunion of the '80s rock gods. The rumors, however, were unfounded. It soon became clear that the band, minus Axl, was looking for a fix--a new lead singer. After a highly publicized try-out process, the group opted for ex-STP frontman Scott Wyland. The result was Velvet Revolver, and their debut album, Contraband, was an uncompromising display of exciting, blues-based hard rock that flourished artistically and commercially. Guitar hero Slash relentlessly pushes the boundaries with his gritty trademark style and Wyland's barking vocals embody the sultry harmony of bad-ass rock & roll. With a sound that captures five lifetimes of rock stardom and excessive indulgence, Velvet Revolver is a super-group bound for glory, as long as they can keep out of rehab.

Rhumba @ Agenda

SEXY DE MAYO:
It's not just Cinco de Mayo anymore--it's Sexy de Mayo at Agenda Lounge. Rhumba will be making the most of the annual celebration for Mexico's victory in the battle of Puebla--see, it isn't just a drinking holiday--with specials on shots of Patron, Corona and more. All three rooms of the Agenda Lounge will be packed with a total of six DJs spinning Top 40, house, hip-hop and, of course, lots of Latin house and reggaeton. Nasty Nick, David Q and Jammin J will be on the main tables while DJ Matancero, DJ Louie and Baldo B take care of the second room. Rhumba looks like one of Cinco de Mayo--oh, wait--Sexy de Mayo's hottest fiestas.

Beats Boutique @ Vault

CINCO DE STYLE:
Turn up the heat and turn on the fun- celebrate Cinco de Mayo at San Jose's sizzling Vault Ultra Lounge. The Beats Boutique extravaganza goes down Saturday night, with DJ's Albert Campoy and DJ Rated R grooving the main room while DJ Mien mixes things up out back. Dress to impress, dress codes will be strictly enforced- not that we have to remind you ultra-loungers to hit the clubs in style. With killer DJs rocking the party all night long, things are gonna get hot at the Vault- so grab a shot of tequila and get ready for several toasts.

My Former Self

BIG DEAL:
Undoubtedly one of San Jose's biggest unsigned talents, My Former Self comes to Britannia Arms, Cupertino tonight to prove exactly why this pop-punk quartet deserves a major-label record deal. With catchy punk riffs and cooing vocals, the group's sound is as tight and appealing as any band getting airplay on major radio stations. Not that the band isn't getting noticed--they already have high-profile gigs like the Warped Tour and openings for Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy under their metal-studded belts. The impressive musicianship of their debut album, All We Can Ask for Is the Truth, along with explosive live performances have earned My Former Self a steadily growing multitude of teenage fans. It seems only a matter of time before the numbers speak for themselves--and warrant a big fat paycheck.

Animal Liberation Orchestra

JAM IN THE CITY:
Liberate your inner animal! The group from San Francisco who, despite their misleading name, are a band of musicians, not a band of Robin Hood hippies, headline the Fillmore tonight for an evening of laid-back jam-rock. After releasing several independent albums, the quartet was signed to Brushfire Records, and their latest effort, Fly Between Falls, generated a positive buzz both in public and critics' circles. The group's sound is crisp and tight, and catchy melodies are evidence of the band's brilliant songwriting. And they've had plenty of time to polish their act--Zack Gill (keyboards/vocals), Steve Adams (bass guitar/vocals) and Dan Lebowitz (guitar) have been playing together since high school. Fueled by the momentum of their latest tour supporting Jack Johnson, ALO cruises into the Bay Area to induce in their fans a little bit of euphoria, no prescription needed.

My Monster

HOW TO SEMINAR:
In a music industry overrun by uncreative and untalented wannabes, My Monster stands about a million miles apart. Live performances leave audiences in an awestruck stupor, as if their unique sound is some kind of rock & roll hypnosis. But you're not dreaming--these guys (and gal) are for real. With a dual vocal attack (and dual gender, too), hard-driving guitar riffs and a musical style that crosses the often impenetrable boundary of '80s and '90s alternative rock, My Monster is one of the South Bay's hottest indie bands. Catch them live tonight at Johnny V's for a lesson in How To Rock 101. Also playing are Reno punks Shockbox.

De La Hoya vs. Mayweather

FIGHT NIGHT:
Ever wanted to have dinner in bed while watching a championship boxing match? Think about it. Great food, comfy accommodations and two of the world's best fighters slugging it out for the junior middleweight belt--really, what could be better? "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya will take on "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in what is being called the year's biggest event in boxing. Pair that with the seductively themed Saturday night Pillow Talk and you've got yourself a night to remember--just cross your fingers for a good knockout.

Toowamp

NO CHEWY CENTER:
San Jose's underground metal scene comes to life, or, er...death, as local heavies Toowamp descend upon the stage at Johnny V's Sunday night. The hardcore hellions crank up the amps and deliver tripped-out thrash-metal for a night of high-energy power rock. Screaming vocals, darker-than-night guitar riffs and pounding war-drums bubble and boil in a black cauldron of nightmarish sound. Oh, and get ready to slam it out in the mosh pit from start to finish--these guys wouldn't dare play a ballad, or a major scale for that matter, if their lives depended on it.

Willie Nelson

AMERICAN ICON:
We think all of us red-blooded Americans, no matter political affiliation or credo, can breathe a sigh of relief now that Willie was spared from serving jail time last week by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession in Louisiana. Locking up a distinctively American artist of Willie's stature at this point in his life would be like throwing Paul Revere or Johnny Appleseed in the clink. Spared from a stint in the joint (sorry), this tour finds Willie coming off his recent "Last of Breed" package tour, on which he collaborated with fellow country music legends Ray Price and Merle Haggard. You never know quite what to expect from a Willie Nelson show--last time he hit Santa Cruz, he was touring behind a reggae release but played barely anything from the album--but you can count on getting every dollar worth. Not only is he an American icon, but he's also a consummate pro

Patryk de Rosa

VINTAGE CHOPS:
Among virtuosic guitar heroes, Patryk de Rosa stands out as probably one of the least progressive, which in my opinion happens to be a good thing. His music sounds like amusingly low-budget '70s garage sale rock, or better yet, a high school heavy metal band, that was tragically overlooked in its day but rediscovered later as ironic hilarity. Thing is, de Rosa's music is brand new and sounds sincere, which begs the question: is this guy for real? Given the musician's obvious skill, it's clear that the simplistic arrangements are intentional. But ultimately, it's like asking if Andrew W. K. is being sincere--his music is way too much fun to care.

coming up

Mon. May 7-Sun. May 13
various venues in San Jose

Blues Week

IF "CHEF" Ramon Johnson were a beat poet, his "Howl" would sound like the blues, and it would cry out for artists to revive the souls of their cities with music and theater and dance. Johnson has lived in the area since 1963, and says he honed his live music chops in Campbell--yes, Campbell--in the late '70s and early '80s. "At a place called the Outlook, you got booked for a week," says Johnson, "So you worked there usually Tuesday through Saturday, and that gave a band time to get to know people, develop a work ethic and develop [its] craft." Not so anymore--Campbell, for one, is still recovering from the reign of a certain anti-nightlife police chief, and musicians everywhere face the Catch-22 situation in which they can't develop their craft without frequent performances, but they can't perform frequently without well-developed craft. Johnson, who hosts the Friday morning radio show The Blues Cafe on KSJS, is on a mission to fix the broken wheel. He's doing his part as the organizer of San Jose Blues Week, a series of performances, discussions and parties beginning on May 7 that leads up to the Metro Fountain Blues Festival.

This year's FBF, on May 12, is packed full of talent, with Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy headlining, and support from Sista Monica, Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers, Jasson Ricci & New Blood, the JC Smith Band and the Lara Price Band. Now in its 27th year, the festival has become something of a South Bay institution, but it has yet to turn San Jose into a city known for its live blues--or live anything, for that matter. With Blues Week, Johnson hopes to change that. "This is called San Jose Blues Week," says Johnson, "but it's really about all live music and venues. If we don't support them, what's going to happen? All the artistic talent is going to leave. The idea is to build a bridge from the yniversity to the city, and the vision is to be a fun town, to be like an Austin, Texas--to be like some of these towns that support live music." Johnson has near religious enthusiasm for the live music gospel he's preaching, believing it to be a salve capable of curing societal ills like homelessness and youth violence. Having been homeless himself with undiagnosed schizophrenia, Johnson is acutely sympathetic to the city's overlooked and downtrodden citizens, and believes that the collaborative process of art has the power to socialize people to be more sympathetic and caring. "Society is crazy," says Johnson. "Arts give you a moment to slow down and enjoy something." Johnson has also teamed up with Goodwill and added a shoe drive to Blues Week. "Blues is about community, and one of the things I thought was very important was to add some caregiving, to have a nonprofit involved." To Johnson, it's all part of the bigger picture--one that he's drawing as he goes. He even wrote something he calls the S.O.U.L.M.A.N. Manifesto--the acronym stands for "Save Our Undervalued Live Music and Arts Nightlife." It's a call to action that urges us to take our city back from "politicians and developers." Indeed, the city's most visible efforts to nurture a sense of a common culture in the South Bay often revolve around sports teams, which create camaraderie that Johnson feels is important, but only a piece of the larger puzzle. "The soul of a city is in its art," says Johnson, "and if you lose your art, you lose your soul." (Mike Connor)

Modest Mouse

MOUSEKETEERS:
A band? A cult? An intellectual socialist group? Just what exactly Modest Mouse is seems to elude even the most informed music buffs, but one thing's for sure--outlandish personalities and an unmistakable sound have made their name synonymous with indie-rock itself. Case in point: appearing in the two "you've-made-it-to-the-top" positions of the music industry: MTV and car commercials. But still, one has to wonder; why the astounding success? Well, for one, they make some damn good music, appealing to a worldwide fan base of emo-kids and generations X-ers fed up with the glam-pop and hip-slop pouring out of FM radio these days. Let's just say P-Diddy can only hold so much allure for suburb Sam, and the N'sync-ers are sick of getting picked on in gym class. Thankfully, a new emergence of sentimental alt-rock has surfaced upon the shoulders of bands like The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Flaming Lips. So forget trying to figure the band out, just focus on Isaac Brock's brooding melodies and lyrical quirks--it's only a matter of time before you catch on to the cynical brilliance of Modest Mouse.

--Capsules that were taken from the Metroactive Club Newsletter were written by: RO, AL, GW, MC, PD & HVT